“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:20-22

Those who say they don’t believe in God, or withhold their commitment to our great Lord in Heaven (the Atheists and the Agnostics or the A-s), do His will every day.

They invariably display a hostile attitude towards such will, even though they allow it to govern their lives.

Consequently, they come off as double-minded and quite unstable in their beliefs.

However, we simply call it foolishness, though it is quite tinged with far more than intellectual hypocrisy.

HOW THEY DO GOD’S WILL

From the very beginning of creation God commanded the following:

“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28

The A-s gladly follow through on God’s commandment as their own multiplication contributes to filling the earth.

They also work for a living and in the process toil in their various fields of expertise in order to subdue the planet.

A great many fish, hunt, and train animals and therefore exercise dominion over the fish, the birds, and every living thing.

The only way for the A-s to be true to their beliefs would be to avoid doing all of the above.

However, there is one big problem. Even if they wanted to be faithful to what they profess, they couldn’t. For one thing, they need to eat or they’ll die. And second, in order to eat they have to work.

But why does life have to be that way?

Because God said so.

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food…” Genesis 3:19

“if any would not work, neither should he eat.” 2 Thessalonians 3: 10

Hence they’re caught in a quandary.

To work by “the sweat of one’s brow” is not a choice. It is a necessity that was “imposed” upon us, an exigency that became more than an obligation, a condition of life that simply removed man’s freedom to do as he pleases.

In other words, the work ideal of the Garden of Eden was transformed by God into a difficult and constant fight for survival, and no one, absolutely no one can change that. Those who try to change it end up with terrible afflictions: the poor with homelessness and all its consequences, and the very rich with quirks, addictions, and psychological, spiritual, and/or moral decrepitude.

Further, the desire to pro-create is stronger than anything man or woman can resist. It comes in the form of powerful sexual urges, which God Himself instilled in us for that very purpose, that of making babies.

Of course, the A-s did come up with some nifty ways to circumvent procreation: condoms, abortion pills, surgical abortion, tubal ligation, vasectomy, etc., not to mention the poor man’s birth control of pulling out before climaxing.

And yet, in spite of all these, we have more people on earth today than at any other time in history. As a matter of fact, world population never decreases, it continually increases decade after decade.

The desire to have children is ingrained in mankind because God spoke it. So, birth control or not, children will pop up all over the place, and that’s because if there’s one thing man can’t shake is God’s commands. They stick like glue, like white on rice… feel free to add your own metaphor. In other words, when God speaks we jump, whether we believe or not or pretend that we don’t.

Another important way the A-s follow God’s commands is through the Judicial System. Throughout the world man’s idea of justice tries to mirror God’s very own because if it didn’t, it wouldn’t be Justice, it’d be Injustice.

“Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:17

“Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you” Deuteronomy 16:20

Many A-s circumvent God’s ideal of justice by rebelling against it. They kill, steal, and rape when they know they shouldn’t, while their very own rich, powerful, and influential pervert the justice due others to get their way.

From Mao Zedong to Meginstu Haile Mariam, from Kim Il Su to Pol Pot, from Hideki Tojo to Stalin, these A-s killed over 110 million people – not to mention antiquity rulers like Pharaoh and Caesar who actually thought themselves gods and annihilated multitudes.

“All those who hate Me love death.” Proverbs 8:36

Others do it all in the dark, away from prying eyes and ears, because they know that in doing these things they’re in the wrong. Hence their scruple reacts to God’s commands.

“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” John 3:20

Everyone is born with a deep-seated and inherent sense of what true justice is, a knowledge that was birthed in our spirit when God spoke it. When we go against it the alarm in our soul rings and causes our conscience to be pricked. While many choose to ignore or deaden said alert doesn’t mean it wasn’t there to begin with.

No true Christian who follows the teachings of Christ would ever harm anyone. If lawbreakers, murderers, and mass murderers – politicians or not – pay lip service to the Lord, it’s just to mask who they really are: A-s pretending to be Christians.

THE A-s WON’T HAVE IT

The A-s strangely assume that those who believe in God believe in a fairy tale.

It’s a postulation they arrogantly consider themselves qualified to make, as if they have mastered the totality of knowledge of life and of the universe – an intellectual hypocrisy they deem to be nowhere near as bad as the supposed fallacy of the believers’ blind faith.

Yet, they sanctimoniously use said blind faith in their own God Complex or their Know-it-all Syndrome to appoint themselves as the new gods, and unseat the true God whom they pompously declare to be either dead or non-existent.

It’s their equivalent of a coup d’état.

Hence they rebuff everything that has to do with the Almighty. They have developed a fantasy – in many cases a hatred – that can only be explained thus:

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ ” Psalm 14:1

They actually fool themselves to believe there’s no God by adhering to cockamamy theories like the Theory of Evolution (see how we destroy that nonsense here) and the Big (bada-bing-bada) Bang Theory, which they want humanity to believe are facts when in reality they’re just that, theories (i.e., unproved assumptions or conjectures).

Let’s humor them for a quick moment.

If the A-s‘ ancestors were animals, where do A-s get their sense of justice, morality, and ethics? After all, animals don’t work for a living, they eat each other, and they self, meaning within their own species they sexually jump one another regardless of whether they’re related or not. In other words, why aren’t the A-s more concerned about enforcing these laws of the jungle instead of worrying about true justice, steadfast morality, and staunch ethics as demanded by God? That would be more logical, wouldn’t it? Oh… they are also trying to do those things? Hmm… it’s that dissociative disorder… well, our bad! 🙂

Further, if Big Bangs were capable of creating things, scientists could go in a lab and apply that Big (bada-bing-bada) Bang Theory (on a much smaller scale, of course), not only to prove its validity but to watch as new tiny universes and creatures burst into existence. Besides, didn’t Steve Hawking come up with a formula for that nonsense? The M-Theory? So what are they waiting for? They could actually turn its application into a lucrative business. Big-Banged tiny universes teemed with tiny creatures could be sold at Walmart where we’d be the first in line to purchase them. We would rule them with a rod of iron, and if those tiny creatures were to theorize that no one created them, we would teach them a lesson and smite them dead. 😉

Atheism is a religion whether the A-s want to acknowledge it or not. It’s a faith that declares the self to be god and encourages the hatred of the true God and His creation.

FURTHERMORE

There are more ways by which the A-s follow God’s will while their dissociative disorder is in full display.

1. Breathing. They conveniently use the breath that God places in them without even saying, “Thank you, God.” How beastly! See Life, Death and the Afterlife.

“The breath of the Almighty gives me life.” Job 33:4

2. Clothing. They wear clothes when they should be running around naked like animals. Worse, like sinning-Adam they even feel shame and hide when they don’t cover themselves. And how did they come up with that “silly” idea to wear clothes in the first place?

“‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid…’ The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” Genesis 3:10,21

3. Hygiene. Every time they shower, shave, flush the toilet, and wash their clothes they should remember God, but they don’t.

“The one to be cleansed shall then wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe in water and be clean.” Leviticus 14:8

“You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it. And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement.” Deuteronomy 23:12,13

4. Exercising charity. Imagine what the world would be like with the laws of the jungle instead of Christian charity. See The Heart Adjustment.

“One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed.” Proverbs 19:17

5. Authoritative system. It brings order where there is chaos. God-given authority replaces the might-make-right rule of the beasts. See Of Authority and Christians.

“For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” Romans 13:11

6. Marriage between man and woman. God instituted it as the foundation of human civilization, and without it there would be no worthwhile continuation of society. Many A-s use it in their own lives while they simultaneously advocate the antitheses of marriage: free “love” and the abomination that is called homosexual “marriage.” See The Biblical Marriage Blueprint.

“Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.” Jeremiah 29:6

7. Caring for animals. It was never a liberal atheistic concept. Christian civilization brought about the humane treatment of animals, as opposed to the laws of the jungle that dictate otherwise.

“Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.” Proverbs 12:10

8. Sound Money. When we as a society (A-s included) made sure money was soundly based on God’s principles of accurate weights and measures, we had stability. But then a group of God-hating, money-loving bunch introduced fiat money or paper money in order to get rich quick. So now it’s all going to hell in a bank basket. See When Money is the Problem.

9. Succumbing to Diseases. Sooner or later everyone succumbs to sicknesses because everyone (A-s included) at one point or another sins and fails to diligently listen to the voice of the Lord. So whether one believes or not that one is being disobedient to God, the consequences become real anyway. Therefore God’s will is done in every person’s life, atheists and otherwise. See Of Healing and Miracles.

“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Psalm 51:5

“If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you… for I am the Lord, your healer.” Exodus 15:26

10. Succumbing to Death. Say A-s, try and stop this God-appointed bad boy with your God Complex or with a bada-bing-bada-whoops-there-it-is theory. See The Consequences of Sin.

“And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7

CONCLUSION

We could go on, but by now we believe you’ve got the gist.

So go ahead A-s, keep doing God’s will. We quite understand when you say you don’t believe or choose not to believe in God. After all, actions speak louder than words. 😉

By the way, while you’re partially implementing His volition, why not acknowledge Him and fully perform His will? Because if you don’t, there will be consequences. See The Consequences of Sin.

Therefore, come full circle and return to your Heavenly Father’s loving arms – you know, the One who actually formed you in your mother’s womb – and become a Christian today. See How to Become a Christian.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 39: 13-16

Natural And Divine Interventions

Many Christians wrongly assume that the following verse has to do with physical healing:

“And by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

That’s because they have been taught thus by “preachers” who have taken it out of context. They should have read the beginning of that verse.

“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our sins fell upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

Obviously, it takes an outside influence to teach anyone to mess up such a straightforward and simple verse.

In addition to Isaiah, the Apostle Peter also put that verse in proper context:

“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His stripes you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

By the stripes of Jesus we are healed spiritually, and our sins are thus forgiven. As for physical healing, Jesus demonstrated two methods He used in healing someone.

1. Divine Intervention. He either willed the healing or used His touch and/or a few simple words.

“Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour.” Matthew 8:13

“But Jesus answered and said, ‘Permit even this.’ And He touched his ear and healed him.” Luke 22:51

2. Natural Procedure or Intervention. In such an instance, Jesus would use things in our world (backed of course by His divine power and will) before letting the healing take place. In other words, by His action He delineated the steps needed for the cure to materialize.

“After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. Then He told him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing. ” John 9:6,7

INTERVENTIONS

1. Divine Intervention: God’s Touch

“Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed…” Jeremiah 17:14

Before He left, Jesus gave the command on how His followers ought to proceed vis-a-vis the physically sick.

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall raise their voices against the serpents (or malicious ones); and if they imbibe any poison (or poisonous doctrine), it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shallrecover.” Mark 16: 17-18

We believers can lay hands on the sick and with a true prayer of faith they will recover (i.e., be healed in time) that the Son of God might be glorified.

However, if a particular sickness is unto death, no amount of prayer will heal the afflicted since a death appointment with that disease has been scheduled by God Himself.

“This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” John 11:4

In other words, a sickness unto death will cause the death of the afflicted, or the afflicted will either live with it until death (e.g., many natural degenerative diseases that usually accompany old age) or endure it long-sufferingly while subsisting normally. Even the Apostle Paul endured said affliction.

“…a thorn in the flesh was given to me… Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me… For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10

But if a sickness is not unto death, a prayer of faith will bring about a recovery, albeit a slow one. One that is usually preceded by a confession and forgiveness of sins, if any was committed. That confession is not to a “catholic priest,” but to the one who’s about to lay hands and pray and/or to the party offended – whether to God or to some other individual – by the one who’s sick.

“Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” James 5:14-15

“But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks [i.e., communion], eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.” 1 Corinthians 11:28-31

That’s why the Apostle Paul told Timothy the following:

“Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share in the sins of others.” 1 Timothy 5:22

It must first be established whether the sickness is caused by a particular sin that needs repentance before hands are laid and prayers prayed; if not, then whoever lays hand becomes complicit in the sin the afflicted is concealing. Once that concern is alleviated, Jesus’s command to lay hands on the sick can be performed, and a prayer of faith for recovery can be prayed.

The slow-process recovery that follows is a miracle nonetheless. It might not be instantaneous, but it’s still a miracle.

“The LORD will take away from thee all sickness…” Deuteronomy 7:15

No prayer of ours will produce spontaneous miracles. The power source of supernatural wonders and instantaneous miracles was reserved solely for Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone of the church, and the 12 Apostles, the foundation of the Church. See Understanding the Duties of Ministry for an exposé.

“You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone…” Ephesians 2:20

“And when he had called unto [him] his twelve disciples, he gave them power [against] unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” Matthew 10:1

When we are sick a spiritual introspection is the first thing that is needed, as opposed to a reactive focus on the physical. Once that’s taken care of and prayers are prayed, if God then reveals His intention to immerse us in natural interventions, we must obey.

2. Natural Interventions

a) Doctors and Remedies

“Luke the beloved physician greets you…” Colossians 4:14

There are ailments that worm their way in not because of specific sins but because of certain pathogens that our fallen, entropic nature, which weakens day by day, isn’t fully capable of confronting on its own. The Apostle Paul recognized that and through his God-given wisdom recommended the curative power of natural remedies.

Ultimately, to avoid diseases we must get to know our bodies when they “talk” to us, what to feed them, and how to care for them. And if we’re sick it may be that God is trying to tell us something about both our spiritual conditions and lifestyles.

The root causes of our physical afflictions may be many things: toxic-laden food; stress; dehydration; lack of sun, relaxation, exercise, sleep, or prayer; bad diet; toxic medicines; toxic environment; etc. So we must listen carefully as God delineates the steps needed to be healed.

Said steps in and of themselves are not the ultimate cure; obedience to them is. For instance, God might inspire some individual to use a certain remedy for a particular ailment, which would work for such a person. Yet, another individual, upon hearing that such a remedy works, might try it for himself; but when that remedy fails, he’s at a loss to comprehend why. That’s because God did not delineate that certain step for him, which in the end might be for that individual to go see a real doctor.

A real doctor is one who understands that God created the body with the capability and the capacity to heal itself, particularly when it is given the right regimen, including ingredients of the God-created, organic kind since synthetic elements do not mesh well with its God-created, organic composition.

Some synthetic medicines may help, especially in trauma injuries, physiological impairments, and systemic organelle breakdowns. Unfortunately, because of their synthetic nature, their long term prescriptive use engenders many side effects, which usually end up destroying some organ of the body such as the liver, the kidneys, the brain, etc. Besides, most synthetic medicines are palliative and do not heal. They predominantly cover up symptoms of the maladies as they do not fix the underlying causes, while spawning other diseases via adverse effects.

True healing takes place when the body totally heals itself and the problem goes away, thus requiring no further treatment. A real doctor understands that. He is someone that God in His mercy has given the necessary knowledge to help and inform us through the healing process.

Therefore, God uses him to help those with a weak faith overcome their unbelief by sparking faith’s hope that healing is possible. That’s how incredibly loving God is.

“That you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love…” Ephesians 3:18

God operates that way because He prefers to cloak Himself with anonymity, especially as it pertains to His healing miracles.

“Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you don’t tell anyone…'” Matthew 8: 3,4

“…after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret…” John 7: 10

In addition, He has a worldwide economy to run. He has to provide for a lot of people, doctors included, who are trying to make a living.

Thus, as God provides for these doctors and their fellow care workers, He simultaneously provides through them (or while “hiding” behind them or the remedies) His healing miracles.

Still, even with modern medicine or the alternative kind, there’s no guarantee of success or healing, especially when it comes to certain diseases and/or traumas that God allows to creep in for whatever purposes He has in mind.

“There is none to uphold your cause, no medicine for your wound, no healing for you.” Jeremiah 30:13

In these circumstances many doctors will tell their patients one of the following:

“All we can do now is pray.”

“Medicine is not a perfect science.”

The only perfect science is the power of a loving God who demands faith from us.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

Faith is not just the belief that God can do the impossible. It is also the firm understanding that God does whatever He pleases and that we must accept it, especially since He also appoints sicknesses that are unto death.

“For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 3:17

That’s why the Holy Spirit has been given to us, to guide us through all kinds of circumstances. He helps us understand the particulars of the situation God is walking us through: healing, long suffering, or death.

“… the Spirit of truth… he will guide you into all the truth.” John 16:13

Further, even when a real doctor is trying to help, we better be vigilant and mindful while praying and having faith that God will guide his thought processes. Otherwise, we may become a statistic.

If it comes to the point where it’s time to see a doctor, get busy and locate a real one; then if a diagnostic determines the presence of a sickness, thoroughly research everything on it. However, when it comes to life-threatening illnesses, make sure you get various opinions from specialists who belong to different practice clusters.

“Without counsel plans go wrong: but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” Proverbs 15:22

b) The Right Diet

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates, father of modern medicine.

Food is the ultimate medicine, and as such one’s diet is the single most important thing in achieving healing and/or maintaining optimal health, especially if under the weight of various auto-immune disorders, which now affect an estimated 50 million Americans.

Of all the diets out there, the Paleo Diet is the most sensible, as it uses true scientific processes. It is quite unfortunate that it is labeled “Paleo.” The reason it got stuck with such a sad name is because the people behind the diet believe that “our Paleolithic ancestors” did not eat many of the foods that we consume today.

However, such a mindset is not only false, given its conjectured hypothesis, but downright unscientific as well (science fiction is more like it). The Paleolithic era (an offshoot of the cockamamy Theory of Evolution) is an absolute fabrication that was whimsically concocted out of whole cloth in 1865 by John Lubbock, a politician and a banker who moonlighted as Indiana Jones an archeologist. Seriously John, where are the historical records from “millions of years” ago that confirm such blatant speculation?

In any case, the diet’s real name should be the Nutrient Diet because it focuses on consuming foods full of nutrients that the body needs and on rejecting those with anti-nutrients that wreak physiological havoc, particularly when they are not well prepared or they contain strange-sounding ingredients or additives.

“A Paleo template isn’t about historical re-enactment, but rather about making the best choices as often as possible within a framework that provides a detailed understanding of how compounds in foods can support or undermine health,” explains Dr. Sarah Ballantyne of The Paleo Mom.

Indeed, it’s not a reenactment because there exists nothing to reenact. The diet’s focal point is to feed one’s body the nutrients it needs, not the toxins that harm.

“Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food for the stomach and the stomach for food…” 1 Corinthians 6:12,13

Unfortunately, many believe that their diet should be a vegetarian one that consists only of the following:

“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.’” Genesis 1:29

That edict was before man’s fall from grace and into sin. After the fall, everything turned against man.

“Cursed is the ground because of you… both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you.” Genesis 3:17,18

With that curse man’s food, which was appointed by God before the fall, the seeds, grains, and legumes, became infected with anti-nutrients.

“Traditional cuisines and pre-industrialized peoples from around the world took great care to soak or ferment their grains before consuming them… All grains and legumes contain phytic acid, an organic acid that blocks mineral absorption in the intestinal tract,” explains Sarah Pope from the Weston A. Price Foundation.

In addition, man’s body revolted against him (i.e., it began to slowly die) and needed more nutrients than plants, seeds, and fruits (i.e., a vegan diet) could offer. Therefore, an adjustment was needed.

“Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.” Genesis 9:3-4

“Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat …” Deuteronomy 14: 9-10

With that adjustment, which now includes meat full of nutrients, man gets to fully grasp the cost required to maintain his health when he spills the blood of animals.

“Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast…” Proverbs 12:10

God in His generosity also planned that on special occasions we should have pleasure foods and drinks as well.

“Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord.” Nehemiah 8:10

“A feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.” Isaiah 25:6

The Good Lord has thus given us all things for our well-being and enjoyment, so don’t destroy your health for lack of knowledge.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6

But, as always, all things are to be in moderation.

“All things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12

CONCLUSION

The totality of our being is comprised of spirit, mind, and body. Therefore, an equilibrium must be achieved to create healing and maintain health.

To attain that necessary balance, the following steps are needed: a godly life that leads to repentance from sins; a harmonious family life; the right diet; a sensible exercise regimen; a constant pursuit of knowledge; eight to ten hours of daily sleep; and scheduled times for socializing, relaxation (preferably outdoors under the sun), and vacation to relieve stress.

Nevertheless, keep this in mind. God is no respecter of persons, therefore diseases will hit everyone, Christians or not. That’s because there is spiritual purpose in suffering and hardship.

“For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.” Hebrews 12:6

In the end, the full and final recovery or healing comes straight from the throne of God. He’s the one who decides if one’s efforts at healing will take hold.

“I am the LORD who heals you.” Exodus 15:26

Consequently, the most important thing is to have faith in God and in Jesus whom He sent.

Life Leads To Death Leads To Eternal Life Or Eternal Death

Think about this. You did not give Life to yourself. How you grew in the womb is a mystery even to scientists. Sure, they can explain it in terms of biology, but can they replicate it in a lab without using the materials (DNA, sperm, eggs, etc.) that God provided?

Even if they could, would their creation have Life? That’s the crux. How on earth do Life and physical growth really occur together in the womb?

Only God knows.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalms 139:13

When you die Life leaves your body, but your body remains and immediately starts to decay. The body is there, but there’s no Life.

Whether big or small as a fetus, the body is distinct from Life. Life gives life to a body of any size. The One who puts Life in your body removes it upon the death of the body – whether that death is natural or induced.

Who puts Life there? God. Where does that Life go upon death? Back to God.

“…and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7

Then God is the one you’ll be seeing after you die. Because the Life that leaves your body upon death is YOU. The real YOU. Complete with the good and the bad. All engraved in YOU.

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8

THE AFTERLIFE

The Way To Eternal Life

Ask yourself these fundamental questions.

Can a sinful person stand in front of a sinless God? Can an imperfect man stand in the presence of a perfect Creator?

No and Yes.

On your own you can’t do it: a sure recipe for eternal death (aka Hell).

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23

“He will say… ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ ” Matthew 25:41

But with Christ you can. Yes, you can.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

When you accept Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, His blood washes you clean.

” ‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’ ” Isaiah 1:18

“…wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7

“For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28

And when you ask Christ to live in you, the two of you become one person, one Life. With Christ in you, the perfect God will see the perfect Son in you.

“If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Romans 8:10

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10: 9-10

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

They live and reign with Him in Heaven, because they are partakers of the first resurrection (i.e., salvation in the resurrected Christ, who performed the world’s first resurrection).

“Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death [or eternal hell] has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:6

The thousand-year period is not literal, just like the thousand in the following verse is not literal either:

“For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills.” Psalms 50:10

The word thousand in these instances means many or a great amount. The cattle on the thousand and first and second and third hills do not belong to someone else, they still belong to God.

With that same understanding, Christ is now reigning over the earth through the New Order or the New Covenant, and no one but God knows when that unlimited period will end.

The dead in spirit are placed in a holding pattern after their physical death, not in purgatory. They await Judgment Day which will come about following the thousand-year reign of Christ and the end of the world.

“They [Christians]came to life [in heaven] and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead[non-Christians] did not come to life until the thousand years were completed…The dead[non-Christians] were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books… Anyone whose name was not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life [Jesus’s Book of Life] was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:4,5,12,15

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem [the Assembly of all Christians], coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her Husband [Jesus]. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’ ” Revelation 21:2-3

“Then we [Christians] who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Does that mean every non-Christian will be thrown in the eternal fires of hell? We don’t think so, otherwise God would not have planned to waste His time judging the incredibly vast multitude that will appear before Him.

a. Jesus died to be the Savior of the whole world.

“We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:10

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” John 1:4

b. Because Christ is the light of all mankind, every non-Christian will have a chance to stand before God and give an account of his life. Thus, God will judge all non-Christians according to their deeds and the opportunities given them to live for Christ, and will punish those whom He decides deserve punishment.

“For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So it is God who decides to show mercy.” Romans 9:15,16

Those non-Christians, whom God will show mercy to, would have displayed in their earthly lives – just like true Christians – the fruit of the Spirit.

“He will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.” Romans 2:6-8

“For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.” Romans 2:13-16

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

c. True Christians who follow Christ’s commandments will escape Judgment of Condemnation. That’s the beauty of being a true Christian. Forgiveness is asked by the Christian, and then granted by God while the Christian is still alive, repentant, and living for Christ; hence there’s no sweating before the Throne of God on Judgment Day, only a welcome hug from the Creator Himself.

“Well done, good and faithful servant!” Matthew 25:23

Still, the many so-called Christians who don’t really live the Christian life will not escape Judgment of Condemnation.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” 2 Corinthians 5:10

If you’re a non-Christian or a “marginal” one, don’t bet your eternal destiny on what you think you can get away with on that fateful Judgment Day. Frankly speaking, the odds are stacked against you.

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” John 3:36

New Heaven, New Earth, And New Bodies

Following Judgment Day, Christ will start everything over.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.” Revelation 21:1

No longer any sea is symbolic for no longer any abyss, the pit wherefrom came the demons.

“The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.” Revelation 13:1

Therefore, there will be no more demonic and destructive forces in the new earth to contend with.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

However, even now, subsequent to Satan’s crushing defeat, a certain manifestation of the new Heaven and the new Earth, in preparation for their prophesied upcoming transformation, is already being exhibited: the Earth is now under new management, with Jesus reigning over it in Heaven through his new chosen people, true Christians, who daily do His heavenly will on earth.

“To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 5:11

“Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!” Revelation 14:3

“But you are a chosen people…” 1 Peter 2:9

Bringing His dominion to bear, Christ is at work, preparing and PERFECTING a special group of people, His chosen, a multitude from every generation and every nation under heaven that will inherit the New PERFECT Earth He will bring forth, along with their New PERFECT Heavenly Bodies.

“I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands.” Revelation 7:9

“There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies… It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.” 1 Corinthians 15:40,42

CONCLUSION

The real reason people fear their death is because of the second death (or eternal death/hell). They quite presciently feel that it is there and waiting.